Fodor's may use your email address to send you relevant information on site updates, account changes, and offers. For more information about your privacy and protection, please review our full Privacy Policy.

Beijing Travel Guide

Plan Your Beijing Vacation

Check-in

Check-out

Guests

Rooms

Photo: Hung Chung Chih / Shutterstock

34° Clear

Nearby Airports: BJS, PEK

Plan Your Beijing Vacation

There’s nowhere else in the world quite like Beijing. It’s a modern-day megalopolis at the very core of the world’s second-greatest economy, but it’s also a gateway into China’s imperial past and 5,000 years of history. This is a city where you can stand at the crossroads of time.

In Beijing the march to modernity may seem unrelenting at times, but the city still clings to parts of the past, including a heritage perhaps best encapsulated by the extraordinary Forbidden City. Once home to the emperors of old, it still dominates the city’s center. And then, just an hour or two from downtown, stands one of the great wonders of the world: the Great Wall. Built during the Ming Dynasty to keep out the world, it’s a telling contrast to the China of today.

Despite the proliferation of shiny office towers, high-rise residences, and shopping centers, there are still plenty of world-class historic sites to be discovered, including the famous rapidly disappearing hutong, neighborhoods formed from alleyways. Scores of the city's imperial palaces, mansions, and temples built under the Mongols during the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368) were rebuilt during the later Ming and Qing dynasties. Despite the ravages of time and the Cultural Revolution, many of these refurbished sites are still in excellent condition.

On a seemingly superhuman scale that matches its status as the capital city of the world’s most populous nation, Beijing is laid out with vast expanses of wide avenues and roadways organized in an orderly pattern. There are four key districts to note. Within the Second Ring Road (which replaced Beijing’s now-forgotten city walls) are Dongcheng (the east half of the old center) and Xicheng (the west half). Dongcheng is home to many notable imperial sights; Xicheng is more relaxed and laid-back, thanks to a combination of charming alleyways, parks, and lakes. The Chaoyang District, east of the Old City, is where the full force of contemporary China can be felt, among the skyscrapers of the Guomao business district and the main shopping and nightlife hub of Sanlitun. To the northwest is Haidian, the city’s university and tech district, as well as the location of some of Beijing’s more far-flung sights, such as the Summer Palace.

Restaurants

View All (121)

Hotels

View All (87)

Sights

View All (74)

Shopping

View All (60)

Nightlife

View All (42)

Performing Arts

View All (23)

Top Reasons To Go

The Forbidden City Built by more than 200,000 workers, it’s the largest palace in the world and has the best-preserved and most complete collection of imperial architecture in China.

Tiananmen Square The political heart of modern China, the square covers 100 acres, making it the largest public square in the world.

Temple of Heaven One of the best examples of religious architecture in China, the sprawling, tree-filled complex is a pleasant place for wandering watch locals practice martial arts, play traditional instruments, and enjoy ballroom dancing on the grass.

Magnificent Markets So much to bargain for, so little time! Visit outdoor Panjiayuan Antiques Market, the Silk Alley Market, or the Yashow Market.

Summer Palace This garden complex dates back eight centuries, to when the first emperor of the Jin Dynasty built the Gold Mountain Palace on Longevity Hill.

When To Go

When to Go

The best time to visit Beijing is spring or early fall; the weather is better and crowds are a bit thinner. Book at least one month in advance...